The Grapevine
by DriftingSpirit
Summary: She was leaving. He couldn't let her go. Even if it means actually opening up to another living human being. He will get her to stay. HouseCuddy


He hadn't believed it to be true when the news that Cuddy was leaving first pierced his ears. He had practically ran to the main gossip center, the nurses' station, to find out what it was all about. All that he heard only confirmed it. She was leaving. Her replacement was being shown around as they spoke.

He was completely caught off guard at how badly this pulled at his heartstrings. She couldn't go. If she left, how would he get away with all his stunts? A new Head would fire him. He needed this job as much as it needed him.

Dr. Gregory House was caught in a conundrum.

He mulled over the fresh intake of news as he chewed his dry, pickle-less Reuben. His eyes searched the room around him for something to focus on. He settled on his best friend's lunch.

"I'm not sharing with you no matter what you do." Wilson said, following House's eyes.

The corner of House's mouth turned up into a smile. "Did you hear?"

Wilson waited for House to elaborate, but he offered nothing more. Finally, Wilson sighed, rolling his eyes, and said, "Okay, House. Have I heard what?"

"About Cuddy. She's leaving." House replied. "The devil is leaving hell."

Wilson looked around him. "Interesting, I thought the devil would be taller."

"Well? When are you available?" House asked.

"For what?"

"To convince Cuddy to stay here. Of everybody, you have the most convincing pout." House set down his Reuben and took a large swig of his drink.

"Why do you want Cuddy to stay?" Wilson asked.

"It takes a long time to manipulate people into acting the way you need them to. Especially if she's replaced by a man. Its easier if they fall prey to my charms." House said.

"I don't know about that. As a man, I feel perfectly sincere in admitting my inability to resist you." Wilson said sarcastically.

"Oh you."  
The easiest way to find out what was really going on was to go to the source herself. After finishing off his sandwich, House did exactly that. He headed straight for Cuddy's office and didn't bother with the stupid knocking ritual which normal people abide by and strode straight in. The problem, he discovered upon his entrance, was going to the source isn't quite so effective when the source isn't there. Instead, at Cuddy's desk sat a young man, an extremely young man. House frowned at him.

Black hair, green eyes and a slight smirk plastered to his face; House liked him immediately. He wore a suit, charcoal grey with pinstripes of white, and a light blue tie. It didn't fit him. He seemed too young to be stuck in a suit.

"You must be Dr. House." He said.

"You've heard my reputation." House replied.

"No, Dr. Cuddy has warned me to beware of the doctor with a cane. She says you will quickly become a pain in my ass. And since you are the only person haughty enough to bust through those doors without knocking, I assumed it was you. How presumptuous of me." He said.

A smile grew steadily on House's face. "Well, at least you've been warned."

"I certainly feel enlightened." The young man inclined his head.

"You couldn't possibly be old enough to be Head." House said.

"Direct, good. I hate avoidance. I happen to be thirty-three." Cuddy's replacement said.

House eyed him for a moment. "Where is she?"

"She's at home, packing. Possibly eating. Sleeping, perchance. I'm not entirely sure what she has busied herself with at this moment." He smiled.

House was out of her office and onto his motorbike in a flash. He had to stop her from leaving no matter what.

As it turned out, she was doing exactly was her replacement said she would be doing. Although, that wasn't exactly something he should have known. If he had bothered with knocking, he wouldn't have seen her packing. But since those things weren't rules he took notice of, he had barged in and ambled up the steps. He watched her from the small slit of space between her door and the doorway.

This was one of the few moments out of his whole life where he was left open-mouthed and speechless. Only, this wasn't even profound. It was only Cuddy. Her back was turned to him, her perfectly shape bodice fitted nicely in black slacks and a red blouse. Her dark, curly hair cascaded down her back. She bent at the hips every so often to place an article of clothing into the suitcase in front of her.

"I can't remember the last time I saw you wearing pants." It was stupid, there was no wit behind that comment, but he could think of nothing better to say.

She jumped when his voice pierced her ears. She exhaled a bit on the loud side. "Should've figured you would show up sooner or later without notice." She turned around to look at him. "Its polite to knock."

"Since when has that been a policy of mine?" he replied. His eyes traced the angles of her face, the shape of her eyes, the curve of her lips. It was almost as if he were trying to memorize exactly what she looked like, down to the last freckle.

"Being polite or knocking?" she asked.

"Either." He breathed. He was leaning heavily on his cane, heavier than usual, as he tried to maintain his balance. He cursed himself mentally. She'd always been beautiful, so why did things seem different now? Because she was leaving. Because he didn't want her to go. "You're packing."

"That is what one usually does when they-"

"Leave." He finished for her. She gave him a curious look. He raised his eyebrows at her. "Word travels fast. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured someone would tell you. Or perhaps you might just notice when you look around for me and don't spot my breasts." Cuddy placed her hands on her hips.

"So you were scared to tell me. Why?" he demanded.

"Not scared. I just didn't want to have this conversation. You see? I was right. This conversation sucks." She smirked at him. His smirk!

"I met your replacement." He said after a moment of absolute silence.

"Oh yeah? Did you like him? Or do you not approve because he lacks boobs?" she asked.

"He's too short to be Head." House announced.

"They should really put that in the qualifications." Cuddy smiled sarcastically.

"He can't do the job." House stated.

"I knew there was something I was supposed to look into before I offered it to him." She snapped her fingers. "We are so screwed."

"Your sarcasm is beginning to annoy me." He said.

"Why? Because its me saying it instead of you?" she raised her eyebrows at him in a way that he had done to her so many times.

"Because for once I'm serious. You can't leave." He said.

"Ah, House. I'm touched. Are you going to miss me?" she said facetiously.

He frowned deeply at her. "Go, leave. Forget this." He turned on his good leg and limped out.

She exhaled. "House, you idiot." She whispered. Flipping open her cell phone, she hit speed dial three. The other end rang twice before it was answered. "James, does House think I'm leaving for good?"

He had no idea why he had stormed out like a jealous lover. It was ridiculous. They weren't lovers and he wasn't jealous. Why did he want her to stay anyway? That was pretty suspicious in itself. He didn't know why. He hadn't had time to sit down and analyze his own need. All he knew was he needed her to stay. That was all that mattered. If he could get her to stay, then he could figure out his own reasoning later. One thing was for sure, he would get nowhere storming off.

"Want a ride?"

He turned away from his motorbike to see her standing on the porch, a black leather jacket over her arm. She floated down the last couple of steps to stand directly in front of him.

"No," he said shortly and turned back around. "I am an adult male capable of functioning on my own."

"I agree, you are an adult male but whether or not you are capable of functioning on your own is up for a debate." She replied. He could feel the grin form on her face.

He smiled despite himself. "You feel the need to take care of me?"

A short pause followed this question as she considered answering it. She decided not to. "I have packing to do." She said instead.

A strange feeling filled the pit of his stomach; was it disappointment? It didn't matter. He swung his left leg over the bike and clasped his cane in place. "Then why are you still standing there?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. With one last look, he drove off.

He couldn't concentrate on his patient. His thoughts remained on her. On the way she had looked at him, on what was going on. Why was she leaving? Was she trying to prove something? Had he finally pushed her over the edge? Each answer to his question seemed just as likely as the last. Why wouldn't she be tired of him? All he did was get on her nerves, hurt her. The only reason she kept him at the hospital was because she believed in his medical prowess. That was no reason for her to stay, though. Although, she had to realize whoever replaced her would fire him. New regimes never liked him. Hell, she didn't even like him.

Cameron seemed to be getting more and more nervous as he continued to glare in her general direction. He wasn't consciously doing it; she just happened to be the focal point for his thoughts about Cuddy's reasoning.

"Dr. House?" She asked.

He broke his eyes away from the space just to the left of her head and met her eyes. "What?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked timidly.

"Nothing you can do anything about. Unless you aren't wearing any underwear, are you?" He asked, smiling wolfishly at her.

She blushed. "Dr. House…"

He pushed himself out of his chair and, on his way out, he looked back at her and said, "Relax. I was only kidding. I wouldn't dream of throwing you up against the wall and having my wicked way with you." He frowned and continued on his way out, leaving Cameron, Foreman, and Chase in shock.

He knew where he was going; he just didn't want to admit it yet. He was going back to Cuddy's house. He needed answers. Despite this, he still wouldn't admit he wanted to see her. Answers seemed more him. Wanting to see her? That was ridiculous. He saw her everyday, whether he wanted to or not. He wanted to watch her eyes as she thought over his questions; he wanted to watch her mouth as she responded to them. He wanted to get under those authoritative suits and find out what made her tick. He smiled to himself. When had his thoughts turned so lecherous?

When he arrived back at her house, he found her to still be outside. Perhaps she had returned inside for a short time but now she sat on her front steps with a coffee cup held delicately in both hands. She watched him pull into her driveway with a look caught between curiosity and amusement.

"Do you like me House?" She asked, staring up at him as he limped over.

He nearly tripped but didn't reply as he continued to make headway in her direction. There was no answer coming out. He wanted desperately to answer, but nothing fit. Mostly because he was asking himself that very same question. Maybe he didn't want her to leave because he wanted her. Maybe he didn't want her to leave because he really was selfish enough to put his own comfortableness above hers. She'd probably be happier without him in her life. He wouldn't. He didn't know why, he was just sure he wouldn't be.

"Well? I'm waiting. I can't really think of another reason why you'd be so desperate to keep me here." She shrugged, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

"I can think of several reasons." He choked out, easing himself down next to her. She turned, leaning against the railing on her porch and studied him.

"If you're trying to say your excuse is that whosoever took my spot would fire you, you're wrong. Jesse happens to be a huge fan of yours, hell if I know why." She told him. "The kid won't fire you. In fact, he might give you even more lenience than I do."

"He's not as satisfying to look at. A shirt like that just wouldn't be done justice." He replied, placing his chin on the head of his cane, turning it to look at her.

"I know you, a reason that stupid would never set well in your mind." She said.

"How do you know? First and foremost, I am a man. It isn't as hot to have a boy watching my every move."

She chuckled lightly. "I imagine you'll survive."

"Overload of men. All I'll have for entertainment will be Cameron." He shrugged.

"Or you could quite possibly treat patients. Crazy idea, I know." She grinned.

"You really trust someone else to look after your baby?" House asked.

She laughed again. "You're not my baby."

He bit back a laugh. "That isn't what you were saying last night."

"Sorry, lies come out when you are in the throes of passion."

Now he couldn't look at her. He was too busy picturing her in the throes of passion. Bad thoughts to be having in the middle of a conversation. Picturing her underneath him, her dark hair fanned out against her pillow. Her thick eyelashes fluttering, small moans escaping her lips, her body quivering underneath him. He fought back a shiver. Lucky for him, he could multitask.

"I admire you, House." Now he did shudder, looking over at her. "When we first met, I prayed that I'd be blessed with your medical brilliance. I'm not even religious, but I prayed. I wanted to be just like you. You were my idol. I never thought for a second that one day I'd be your boss. You don't fire your idol or hire someone who will."

A smile graced his lips. "Did you just admit to having feelings for me?"

"You're not my idol anymore." She said, rolling her eyes. "Now I know you."

"That doesn't mean you don't have feelings for me."

"It doesn't mean I do." She shot back.

"It's just what I'd expect. Apparently, according to Wilson and my own personal calculations, everybody falls for me. That can't stand to spend any sort of time with me, but they love me anyway." House grinned at her.

"Wow, could you sound any more egotistical?" She asked. "I do not love you. Like you, sometimes."

"So you like me?" He questioned.

"Why are you suddenly so curious about how I feel about you? Eight years and you've never cared, why now? Is this because I'm going away? You have last minute scores to settle, bets to win?" She suggested.

"Are you leaving because of me?" He finally asked straight out.

"No." she said quickly. "I'm leaving because I need a break."

"From me."

"From everything."

"From me."

"Do you think repeating it will make me agree to it? I'm not going away because of you." She stated.

"You love everything. The hospital, the staff, the patients. Everything except, apparently, me." He said.

"I don't not love you." She said, looking away from him. He looked up, suddenly very much interested in the conversation. "You can't know someone for as long as I've known you and feel absolutely nothing. If I hated you, I wouldn't have put up with you for this long."

He smiled. "You really want to end this conversation."

"You wouldn't want to keep a conversation about your feelings going." She leaned forward, hugging her knees to her chest.

"You wanna know how I feel?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I," he stared her straight in the eyes. "I don't want you to go."

"That isn't a feeling." She pointed out with a sigh, sounding exasperated. "That's a desire. I asked you how you feel, not what you want."

"I'm a guy, what I want is what I feel." He said.

"Yeah. Do you like me even? Or am I just that annoying women with a nice rack that you put up with because she lets you do what you want?" Cuddy asked.

"So you wanna know if I like you physically?" He grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "I already know the answer to that."

"So this is one of those personality questions?"

"House."

"I stopped liking you as a friend when you stopped calling me Greg." He told her straight out, meeting her gaze. He offered her a small smile.

Her mouth hung open for a minute as she digested this information. "I stopped calling you Greg when I thought our friendship was over."

He raised his eyebrows at her, setting his head back on top of his cane. "I know. I saw you crying in your office and the next day I was House."

"It wasn't easy for me to tell the surgeon to cut out a chunk of your thigh muscle." Cuddy said. "You didn't make it any easier after you woke up."

"I didn't blame you." He said, interrupting what he was sure was going to be quite a long reply on her part.

"You could've fooled me."

"I didn't blame Stacy either. I blamed me. I just took it out on you." He shrugged.

Her hand landed on his shoulder. As soon as it hit, he stood up. "Greg…"

"I should go. People dying and all that." He said.

"Greg…"

"So I'm Greg again." He turned back to look at her. She had stood also.

"You never stopped being Greg. When did I stop being Lisa?" She asked.

"You were never Lisa. I've always called you Cuddy. It sounds strangely sexy." He grinned before turning back to his bike. "Just remember, now that I'm Greg again, when I show up on the doorstep of your new hospital because I've been fired, you can't turn me away."

"I'm not going to a new hospital."

He turned back again. "You're just quitting?"

"No, I'm just going away for a couple weeks. Didn't you notice I was only packing a suitcase?" She asked.

"So, so, you just used false pretenses in order to get me to talk about my feelings?" He summed up, his brow lowering.

"I had to know how you felt before." She shrugged, walking over to him.

"Before what?" He asked, looking down at her as she got much closer than normal.

"Before I did this." She lifted onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. At first, he couldn't shake the haze of shock from in front of his eyes. As he started to relax, though, he sunk into the kiss, tracing her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. Her hands slid up his sides before clenching into the material of his jacket and pulling him closer. Her lips parted, welcoming his tongue into the depths of her mouth. He dove in.

He had never expected to find himself one day kissing Cuddy. He had also never expected for her to taste so good. His fingers gripped her hips, holding her to him, taking full advantage of what she was offering. He took all he could get, finding every nook and cranny of her mouth, exploring all corners. Her lips were so soft against his; her mouth was so hot, her tongue slick. One hand drew circles on the small of her back while the other reached up to direct her chin.

She pulled back then.

"Goodnight, House." She said without looking back as she headed into the house, shutting the door behind her.

He drove back to the hospital in a stupor of lust, confusion, and disappointment. After she had kissed him, this wasn't even close to how he was expecting the rest of the night to go. He expected to be in her bed, not heading back to the hospital. Well, maybe not in her bed. But in her house, at least. Maybe she'd offer him coffee.

He pushed through the front doors of the hospital, trying to make sense of what just happened, spotting Wilson immediately.

"Where have you been?" Wilson hissed at him immediately, striding over to him.

"Making out with Cuddy." He admitted, lifted a shoulder.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Is she almost done packing?"

"Well, since she's only going to be gone for a couple of weeks, I'd say she's done." He smiled.

"She told you?" Wilson gasped, looking a little surprised at the news.

"Why? Was this supposed to be kept secret from me?" House asked.

"Not exactly. She wasn't telling anyone it would only be for a couple of weeks. She needed a break and she didn't think she'd really get that if everyone knew she was coming back. She figured someone would call her while she was gone and she would be wrapped back up in hospital business when she's supposed to be unwinding." Wilson shrugged.

"Wow, that was a really long explanation. And you didn't even stutter once. That takes skill." House said, mouth wide in mock awe.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "She's leaving tomorrow, right? Maybe I should bring her flowers to wish her a safe trip."

"I don't know how you and I are friends. You are such a diehard romantic, just like Cameron." House shook his head as if he was disgusted.

"Oh, right. Don't even try to act like you aren't. You know what you are, you are a closet romantic." Wilson labeled.

"I am not." House defended, looking at Wilson like he had lost his mind.

"Are to. Stacy used to tell me about the little things you do. You are one hundred percent closet romantic." Wilson laughed.

House limped away from him. "You know what, I'm not going to stand there and take this abuse."

On his list of priorities, going back to Cuddy's was at the top. He didn't, though. Instead, he took the elevator up to his office to check in on his team. Apparently, they didn't have any patients, so there was really nothing to worry about. Cameron was answering his email, Chase was busy with a crossword puzzle, and Foreman was typing on his laptop. House peered over his shoulder, pretending to read his newest article until Foreman got paranoid and shifted.

House left after that. There was no more fun to be had in his office.

Telling himself not to go back to Cuddy's, he forced himself to drive home.

The next day, the first thing he notices is his empty bed, his empty condo, his empty life. He thinks of her as he showers, dresses, grabs something to eat, brushes his teeth. He thinks of her when he pulls up in front of the hospital, as he walks in the front doors. Not fighting his clinic time, not misbehaving and upsetting the patients, not bothering her because he needed some dangerous procedure done on a patient. She had to notice. She just had to. She had kissed him; it was his turn to make a move. He knew it, thought about it, considered the possibilities. Couldn't bring himself to act. No matter how much he wanted to. She had tricked him, forced him to admit what he was feeling under false pretenses. Hurt pride? No. Just hurt. She had said straight out she didn't love him. So why had she kissed him?

He had lunch with Wilson, letting his best friend ramble without replying in more form than a nod of the head. Nine tables away, she sat with the Head of the Pediatrics department. She hadn't looked at him once. Not for a single moment. Was she avoiding him? Was she trying to send a message here? He had to know.

It was nearly three in the afternoon when he strutted into her office without bothering to knock. She sat at her desk, waist deep in paperwork, glasses sitting low on her nose.

"Where's your replacement?" House asked, making his presence known.

"He'll be here at four to take over." Cuddy informed him, not bothering to look up.

"You're really going to trust him with _your_ hospital?" House questioned.

"You didn't come here to discuss my vacation." She stated, finally looking up and removing her glasses.

"Why did you kiss me?" He asked straight out.

"Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to?" She replied, standing.

"When a man kisses a woman, he can only have one possible motive. When a woman kisses a man, well, there are just so many possibilities." He grinned maliciously at her.

"Buy you dinner?" Cuddy offered.

"Ah, now a dinner offer. I can't remember the last time we had dinner together." He responded.

"Well, I kind of like to have dinner with a man before a fuck him. It seems to make things more acceptable." She smiled, snatching her coat.

"I guess motives aren't so different. Why now?" He asked.

"Because you couldn't stop interrupting my last date. You may have denied it when I asked you if you liked me, but I could see through it. I realized that you will never ever, ever act on what you want, which leaves it up to me." Cuddy told him, walking out the door.

"Are you coming?" She called over her shoulder.

"Not yet." He said under his breath, following her out of the hospital.

They ended up at a small Italian place about five miles from the hospital, which meant she was serious. If she wasn't, they would have been within a block of it. They didn't talk much in the car, only an inquiry over where they were headed and the answer. Other than that, he couldn't think of anything to say. Truth be told, he couldn't stop thinking about Chocolate World in Pennsylvania. He had seen a special on it on the television and not it flooded his mind. His brain must have been trying to keep him focused instead of thinking about what was to come.

The waiter, a young blonde man named Jake, sat them in a secluded corner of the restaurant, much to his delight. He felt more comfortable without all eyes on him. Odd, since most of the time, all of the attention was focused on him and whatever crazy stunt he was pulling at the time. Not that he felt uncomfortable in front of people, he just did when his boss was seducing him.

"You're not going to sit there and look victimized all evening, are you?" Cuddy broke the silence.

House nodded. "Possibly all night and into tomorrow."

"That's too bad. My flight leaves at nine." She told him.

He grinned at her. "I see, I see. I can't dominate you if I'm pouting. Is that what you want?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I want. The lasagna is incredible." It took him a moment to realize she was talking about food, her tone was so casual.

"Why do you want me?" He asked.

She looked over her menu at him. "Man, you are just trying so hard to get me to talk dirty to you, aren't you?"

"No," He defended. He wasn't used to being the one being made uncomfortable. She was making him nervous. He was never nervous. It wasn't in his nature to hesitate. "Just trying to figure you out."

"You've had since we met in college, I thought you could sum up people in shorter time than that?" She responded.

"I thought I had. And then you kissed me." He replied.

"This is new for me, I'm not used to you being the one shocked after we've had an… encounter." She sighed, lifted her glass of water to her lips and taking a sip.

He didn't get the chance to respond to that comment because their waiter appeared and it was time to order. He cursed the waiter with every fiber of his being. It didn't seemed to bother her at all.

"Is it because I'm so gorgeous?" He asked facetiously.

"Partly." She answered, folding her hands on the table and looking straight at him.

"I'm only joking." He told her.

"I'm not. Is it really that difficult for you to think I want you? Is that so impossible? You've got everyone at the hospital thinking we're sleeping together, I thought you'd be the last person I'd have to convince." She raised her eyebrows delicately at him.

"First of all, you have no proof that I convinced those nurses of anything, and secondly, you want the rumors to be true?" He returned the eyebrow raise.

"Without everyone knowing they are, yes. In fact, I don't really care for anyone to know. If the staff knows, it'll stop them considering me a figure of authority. I'd rather they were still scared." She smiled. "With you, they already think it's true and that's why you get away so much. But there hasn't been any confirmation of that, so they aren't sure if they can try bending the rules or not. I'd prefer they didn't try. You are more than enough to deal with."

"Wow, was it hard to make us all sound like kindergarteners?" He asked, returning her smile.

"Surprisingly easy."

"So you want to sleep with me because…?" His good leg jiggled constantly. He tried desperately to stop it but it didn't seem to want to.

"Because I want to. I've always wanted to. Sometimes I hate you, but that feeling, oddly enough, never leaves me. So I figure, why not? I doubt you'll say no. So why not take what I want now and move on?" She explained, thanking the waiter when he set their food down in front of them.

"So you want a one night stand?" House asked as soon as the waiter, Jack or whatever, was out of earshot.

Cuddy shrugged. "Doubt it. Are you so opposed? Do you have a relationship in the way? You got someone whose gonna worry where you are?"

"Yes, in fact, she may be a problem. Cameron is strangely protective of me." House grinned.

Cuddy laughed. "Well, that's what love does to you, I think. At least, that's what everyone tells me."

"Never been in love?" House asked, a little surprised. An attractive woman like Cuddy, how could have no one ever tried a relationship with her?

"I have." Cuddy shrugged. "Truth be told, still am. But it's a lost cause. He hasn't looked at me like he wanted the world from me since we met."

"So am I stand-in until the love of your life comes into play." House summed up.

"He is in play. He just doesn't know it." She winked at him.

He frowned at her, taking a bite of his lasagna. "Where are you off to for two weeks?"

"Nice change of subject, smooth. Italy, to start. Off to visit my grandfather. He's been trying to get me over there for the last ten years. And then I'm head for France. After that, Germany and England." She smiled.

"All of that in two weeks?"

"With the amount of time I actually take off of work, does that really surprise you?" She replied.

"No," He shrugged. "You going alone?"

"I'm hoping to get that love of my life to go with me, but I don't think he will." She shrugged. "That's life."

"Have you asked him yet?"

"No, but he doesn't feel the same way about me."

"So, let me get this straight: you invite me out to dinner so we can have sex afterwards only to end up discussing your one true love who doesn't love you back so I'm filling in and you are going to invite him on your vacation?" House said.

Cuddy nodded. "That about covers it."

House smiled sadly. Cuddy loved someone else. She was just using him. This broke his heart and neutralized his face all at the same time. "This is good lasagna."

Cuddy didn't even invite him back to her place, just drove him there, assuming he wouldn't not want to come in.

With a gesture over her shoulder she asked, "You want coffee?" As House closed the door behind them.

"No." He answered, following her. "Let's not pretend that I'm here for anything besides sex."

"I'm not pretending." Cuddy said, stopping and turning to face him. "I was just being polite."

"You forget, us guys don't require the special treatment." House smiled.

She stepped forward, lifting her hands and resting them on his stomach. She curled her fingers around his belt and began leading him up the stairs. "How could I forget? But I think it's just you. Wilson seems like the kind of guy that would be a woman in this situation."

"Is that why I'm here and not Wilson?" House asked, struggling a little with the stairs.

"Exactly why. I was hoping you would figure it out." Cuddy replied sarcastically.

They'd reached the top of the stairs and she led him down the hall to her bedroom. They backed up into the door, pushing it open. If he looked, he could see into her bedroom from his present position but he couldn't tare his eyes away from hers.

"So-"

"Enough talk." She said, pulling him against her, pressing her lips lightly to his. "I don't want to think for the next three hours."

He grinned at her. "You give me a lot of credit."

"Stacy and I were close friends."

He closed the distance between them, claiming her mouth, making it his own. Hands searched, tongues soothed, everything was sensation. Stumbling back towards the bed, her knees buckled and they fell back. His hips met hers in a surge of sensation that had her moaning and him letting out only a short hiss. He trailed kisses down her neck, his hands sliding up her sides. Moans of encouragement escaped her lips every minute or so as he began to explore her body. His fingers slowly undid the buttons of her shirt, peeling away the soft material. His lips whispered over every inch of freshly revealed flesh.

Immediately, she started tugging at his shirt. Soon enough, he tore his mouth away from her clavicle long enough for her to yank his shirt over his head and off. He returned to her mouth, his tongue slipping past her parted lips, drawing a sigh from her. Clothes were shed quickly after that, her shirt tossed to the side, quickly followed by her pants and then his. In a race against time, he was sick of foreplay. Apparently, so was she. Their lips crashed together in a needy, passionate kiss that sent them both whirling.

It wasn't long before her hands were sliding down his abdomen, skating the edge of his boxer briefs, slipping into them. She gave them a rough shove down his hips, drawing patterns on his skin as they came around to the front. Before she had the chance to touch him, he pulled her hips up into his own, yanking her panties down to her knees before delicately slipping them off. Her fingers curled around the hard length of him, he buried his face in her hair, moaning softly into her ear. That small sound alone sent waves of pleasure through her. Lifting her hips on her own this time, she positioned him at her entrance after a few quick strokes, and pushed herself onto him. He groaned, holding her where she was, reveling in the feeling, allowing her to adjust to his size.

Painstakingly slow, he pulled almost all the way out before shoving right back in, filling her completely. She shook violently around him, clenching every muscle she could in retaliation. Biting his lip, a moan escaped through the corners of his mouth as he repeated the action. He set a pace that he'd hoped would be slow but picked up speed as soon as he let go of her hips and let her move with him. Then they were racing for release, trying to make the other go first in a last minute ditch effort to win. He couldn't stop. His whole body was on fire as he rocked into hers. His broken heart slowly healing. If he could have just one part of her, this part of her if nothing more, he could be happy.

He slid a hand down in between their bodies, slipping a couple finger between her slick folds, feeling her heat radiating from her body, and rubbed. There was no more race, no more soft clenches. Her whole body shook as her muscles contacted violently, her orgasm sizzling through her veins. She screamed into his mouth, wrapping her legs around his hips. After one final thrust, he came, shooting his seed deep within her.

He collapsed on top of her, rolling them over so she could lay on top, figuring she'd like that better. She did. Sliding off of him, she wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head on his chest.

"Three hours is a long time." He said, glancing at the clock.

"No it isn't, you just have to do that two more times and time is up." She grinned at him.

"So when are you going to ask the love of your life to go with you?" He felt a stab go through his heart.

"Uh, I guess now is as good as ever." She shrugged. "You wanna go to Europe with me?"

His mouth fell open in shock as he rolled onto his side to face her. "You're in love with me?" He exclaimed.

"Way to state the obvious, Greg." She rolled her eyes at him. "I booked you a seat and had Wilson pack you a suitcase. It's sitting in the living room. You can't turn me down now."

"You're in love with me?" He repeated, just as much shock in his voice as the first time.

"You are so dense sometimes. I thought you'd figure that part out at dinner. I even winked at you to hit it home." She told him.

"I thought you were just… I don't know I was thinking." His eyes remained wide as he stared at her.

His heart was swelling, pleasure flooded his body a second time as he digested this information. There was only one rational thing he could think to do. He yanked her against him and kissed her.

"Is that a yes?" She asked against his mouth.

"I love you too." He replied, not breaking the kiss, tilting her jaw to a better angle.

"I know." She grinned.

He pulled back then. "How did you know?"

She waved her hand at her body. "Look at me. How could you not be?"

He laughed, pulling her mouth back to his. "I could like men."

She laughed. "Would that make a difference?"

He pulled her back, his eyes scanning over her body. "Probably not."

"Are you going to go with me?"

He nodded.

"Good."

"I love you."

"I know."

"Are you going to say that every time?"

"Fine. I love you too. Is that better?"

He grinned at her, pulling her hips back to his, slipping back into her. "No, but you've got two hours to prove yourself."

She laughed, pulling his mouth back to hers.

_Fin. _

**Wow, my first oneshot. It came out a lot longer than I expected, this thing took so much longer to write than I thought it would. I hope you enjoyed my newest creation, I certainly enjoyed writing it. **


End file.
